It's been a while since I posted (I've warned you that I'm not a frequent blogger) and since then, a lot has changed.
First, COVID - when I wrote last, the virus was starting to have an impact here in the US, and so far the impact has been significant. Over 100,000 people have died, and a multiple of that have contracted the virus. While I and my family have been spared, I have known several people who got sick, and one person from my office (and my softball team) has died. Right now, we are in the midst of a re-opening of most businesses, although the effects on society are evident. At least in my area, everyone wears face masks, most businesses are still closed, but starting to re-open, lots of people are still walking/biking/running outside when the weather is good, but there is still a vacant feeling in the air.
Second - the riots. Last week, there was a video of a deadly arrest in Minneapolis in which an officer knelt on the neck of a suspect for nearly 9 minutes, 3 of which he was unresponsive, and perhaps already dead. This has triggered protests in many cities in the US (and some outside the US) about the treatment of African-Americans at the hands of police. The protests in many cases turned violent, with burning cars, looting, and sometimes shootings (both at and from police, and not involving police).
Beneath all this, there are murder hornets, the start of hurricane season, incredibly high unemployment, and many many many fears about the future.
My reactions to all of this? Well, it can be overwhelming. Just when I think I've got a handle on things, something else pops up. Am I directly affected by most of this? Thankfully, no, but that doesn't mean I won't be, or someone I care about personally won't be affected. I really don't know what good I could do, but I can't shake the feeling that there is more I should be doing, when it's just easier to shut my ears and my mouth and try to get on with my own concerns.
On the Floyd George issue - no one, of any race, should have been treated the way he was when they were not being actively violent. This type of behavior by police (or anyone) needs to stop. The rioting, however, does not help address the issue, but I'm afraid only reinforces stereotypes. The divisiveness this is bringing out in our country (even in my normally peaceful town) is a troubling element. This 'us vs. them' approach to so many issues is just not productive in any way, and with tensions already high, people are making snap judgements about anything others say, rather than taking a minute to ask why someone says something in a certain way. Sadly, the lack of national leadership is not helping (well, the lack of positive national leadership)
On COVID - this is going to pass, but we will be changed by it. I personally will work from home for the rest of this year, if not far longer, and my team will do the same. We'll act differently for a while, and then we'll forget, as we do with so many things (including the underlying causes for the racial unrest right now). As my boys go to and return to college this Fall, their experiences will be different, as my son's high school senior year has been. He will miss some memories that most of us have, but he'll have different ones which will shape his character. The fall is going to be full of fret and worry, as we look carefully at signs of re-emergence, but we are now better equipped and prepared to deal with it.
Until then, I'm trying to make the most of it; watching my diet and ramping up my exercise. I've lost nearly 20 pounds so far this year, and am trying to drop another 10. There are no races to run, so I'm just doing that for me now.
More later, as I would like to keep this journal as my diary of the interlude and re-emergence. The first two months of this was too full of constant news to keep up. Maybe I can do better now.
